New Zealand Football withdraws support for Infantino, calls for independent review

Published Aug 14, 07:56 AM UTC

New Zealand Football has formally withdrawn its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, calling for an independent review into the development of his failed proposal to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to private investors. The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), of which New Zealand is a member, praised the 'progress achieved' under Infantino but stopped short of withdrawing support. Infantino has already lost backing from UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and Concacaf. The Football Association of Ireland also withdrew support. Infantino retains support from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Conmebol. The deadline for rival candidates to challenge Infantino in the March 2027 presidential election is November 18, 2026.